


The Replacement

by Phantoms_Echo



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: All KID's heist notices are haikus because reasons, Angst, Bad Haiku, Complete, Conan tries so hard, Depression, Drama, Feels, Haiku, Hakuba replaces Conan without realizing it, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Misunderstandings, Prompt Fic, Shinichi is forgotten by everyone, Shinichi's going to need a hug by the end of this, Thank Shana_Fujioka for this fic, but they should still be tagged for being bad, haikus are only a small part
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-04
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-01-29 05:12:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12624028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phantoms_Echo/pseuds/Phantoms_Echo
Summary: A familiar hang glider caught his eyes instead. His shoulders slumped as he watched it grow smaller and smaller, disappearing into the night.With it, his last respite vanished before his eyes.“Conan?” Ran called from the stairs, “What are you doing?”“Nothing,” Conan’s voice cracked around the quiet word. He swallowed thickly around the lump in his throat and tried again, “Nothing.”





	1. New Rival Appears

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [KaiShin/ShinKai Prompts](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8635951) by [Shana_Fujioka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shana_Fujioka/pseuds/Shana_Fujioka). 



> Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito. This fic was inspired by a prompt from Shana_Fujioka, but the contents are mainly mine.
> 
>  
> 
> PS -guys, if this plays out like I want, this will be a tear-jerker. :) We'll have to see. ;)
> 
> I plan on updating this the next two Fridays, but again, *plans*. I'm not sure I can make any guarentees.
> 
> Also, I am bad with heist notices, so all of them are haikus because reasons. :P Please let me know if my syllables are off. I tried my best, but some of the past-tense verbs trip me up.

Being Conan was _exhausting_. Shinichi had to constantly dumb himself down for the adults around him. He had to interact with kids ‘his own age’ instead of following Ran and Sonoko around like he used to. Worse, he had to repeat all of _elementary school_! Not just a few days or weeks –two _years_ of it.

Two years of childish remarks and ignorant adults. Two years of watching Ran wilt every time he called. Two years of high school he _couldn’t be a part of_ and studying for entrance exams and-!

Shinichi was _not_ going to miss any of it when Haibara finally figured out a permanent cure. He wouldn’t miss a single thing.

“Conan! Letter!” Ran called from the front door as she went through the rest of the mail.

Well, maybe he’d miss _one_ thing.

She held it out to him on her way to her room to continue work on her homework.

Conan tried not to act _too_ excited when he plucked the heist notice from Ran’s hands. Yes, _heist_ notice. That flamboyant thief had grown to respect Conan enough to personally send notices to the Mouri Detective Agency, inviting KID Killer to his shows. _Conan_ had come to rely on these brief moments of equality to get him through the school days and childish acts and… _Ran_.

He honestly didn’t know what he’d do if he didn’t have these mental breaks where he wasn’t Conan or Kudo –just Tantei-kun.

_Broken once spoken,_

_The mute singer’s famous act,_

_Phantom hands clap once._

_-Kaitou KID_

_PS: to my favorite Tantei-kun, you will have a rival tonight. Make me proud. ;)_

The hands obviously referred to the hands of a clock, since phantom could be synonymous with body-less or armless –a ghost. Clapping would be anytime they overlap, but clapping once? He’d have to come back to that.

Famous singer might point to a celebrity, but KID liked to make a play on their names most often. Therefore, it had to be a more general singer. A genre? A band? A specific song?

Mute…

Conan seemed to recall Ayumi talking about a new movie recently. A mermaid that gave up her voice to meet her prince. Mermaids were a type of siren, mythical daughters of the Sea King known for singing and luring sailors to their deaths. So, losing her voice would make her a mute singer, indeed.

A quick look on his phone gave him three gems: the Blush Mermaid, Siren’s Song, and Poseidon's Daughter.

The Blush Mermaid was out. KID never stole gems a second time. That left two.

Conan had a fair idea which it was. After all, the first line gave it away.

Now, about the time…?

Outside, a clock chimed four, sparking an idea in Conan’s mind with every bong.

That’s it!

“Ran-nee-chan!” Conan ran over to where she’d gone to her room, “Can we go to the KID heist? Please?!”

“Well, it’s not a school night…” she mused, chewing on the end of her pencil, “But I thought the police didn’t know where his target was yet? Or when it started”

“It’s okay,” Conan said, holding up the card, “I know!”

*             *             *             *             *

It was nice to see someone competent at work for once. Nothing against Nakamori-keibu, but Conan was starting to question his expertise.

The heist target hadn’t been crawling with police when they first arrived, but within ten minutes, the Taskforce had arrived and swarmed the place. A blonde foreigner, roughly Conan’s real age, was mixed in the ranks –Conan’s presumed ‘rival’. The newcomer had quoted Holmes twice in the half hour they’d met, so he was considered ‘good’ in Conan’s book.

The blonde, Hakuba, instructed the force to question officers about their ID number, a long, impossible to remember number on their cards. Conan remembered pulling the same stunt at another event long ago, involving a clock tower somewhere in Tokyo.

He wondered why no one else had thought of it, save for Hakuba and him.

Orders in place, it was just a waiting game after that.

“The time should be 1:05 am,” Hakuba told Nakamori. He popped open his pocket watch, “The two hands of the clock overlap at 1:05, 2:10, 3:15, 4:20, 5:25, 6:30, 7:35, 8:40, 9:45, 10:50, 11:55, and 12:00, for both AM and PM. ‘Once’ implies a one or 1:05 AM.”

Conan grinned to himself and left the scene at 12:55. He made it to the roof by 12:58.

At exactly 1 o’clock, the familiar call of “Ladies and gentlemen!” rang out, to the delight of the gathered KID fans.

At 1:05, KID appeared at the roof access. He froze at the sight of Conan, before closing the door behind him and smiling. “I knew you would make me proud.”

“Hard not to when you make the heist notes so easy,” Conan scoffed, “mute singer, really? Siren’s Song, if you take away the song from the siren, she becomes mute. The stone itself, does not sing –it is ‘silent’, the answer to your first line.”

“Aw, I had hoped that was harder for you!” KID pouted, “it took my friend forty-five minutes to figure out!”

“As for the time, there is a common misconception that clock hands overlap when the hour matches with its fractional minutes, such as 1:05 or 2:10. It’s hard to see at 1:05, where the difference is miniscule, but by 6:30, the minute hand would hover over 6 while the hour hand would be halfway to 7,” Conan explained, unable to help a smirk, “but you weren’t hinting at a clock.”

“Oh-ho?”

“You said hands to make us think of time, but you really meant to focus on the ‘clap’. One clap can be anything: a clap, a whistle, a boom,” Conan lifted his chin victoriously, “or the sound of a hammer and bell in this case –typically used by clock towers for marking the top of the hour.”

“Ah, got it in one!” KID cheered, then paled as Conan knelt to his shoes, “T-Tantei-kun, you can let me go this once, right? I did save your friend! On the train, remember?!”

“And embarrassed another,” Conan noted as he cranked up the voltage. It stung his foot a bit, as it always did, but he was used to it. “Sera-san still remembers you, but the way.”

KID made a face, one that Conan would have _loved_ to plaster all over his soccer ball (or _on_ it rather, in painful HD), but the door chose that moment to swing open, interrupting their moment.

Hakuba stood panting at the top of the stairs, faint traces of glitter clinging to his sharp suit from a sprung trap. The well-put-together teen Conan had met was _long gone_ as the blonde growled out, “ _Kur-o-baaaa!_ ”

And –what?

Who was Kuroba?

“Oh, Tantei-san! Pleasure to make your acquaintance!” KID said, turning his back on Conan, like he trusted him _not_ to launch his soccer ball.

Unfortunately, he got lucky. Conan couldn’t afford to make a scene, not with Hakuba there. To Hakuba, he had to be that smart-but-ultimately-harmless child everyone thought him to be. Quietly, Conan cranked the voltage on his shoes down, letting it discharge safely.

“Don’t give me that shit!” Hakuba swore, “ _I saw you in class today_!”

Conan blinked. Again –what?

“I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about.” KID gave a carefree shrug.

“I saw you on your tablet! You were looking up information about the Siren’s Song and _cackling_!” Hakuba accused, “you’re literally the only suspect, Kuroba Kaito! Teen magician, acrobatic, untold resources, playboy-!”

“Mmm… Sorry, can’t say I’ve heard of him.” KID put a hand on his hip. The wind blew his cape at the exact right moment for Conan to see how hard his gloved hand dug into his hip, “Sounds like a cool guy though!”

“You _would_ say that!”

Class? Tablet? Magician? _Kuroba_?

KID’s reaction, their familiarity, Hakuba’s laundry list of characteristics… Conan hadn’t earned KID’s respect until the fourth time they’d met. He hadn’t known KID’s showboating for what it was until the sixth. KID was an actor at heart, not a thief.

Hakuba knew it before he’d ever met KID. He was in KID’s class. He _knew_ KID. KID knew _him_.

Conan had thought he’d been in the lead in this little faux-rivalry.

He was wrong.

“Well, I can’t say for sure until I _meet_ him,” KID acquiesced.

“You can’t meet him! _You are him, you lying bas_ -!”

“Tantei-san! I’m ashamed of you!” KID huffed, suddenly pulling Conan forward from behind him. “There are _children_ present!”

Hakuba looked almost as surprised as Conan at his sudden inclusion. “Edogawa-kun?”

“H-hi, Hakuba-nii-san,” Conan said shakily. Usually, the rest of the police force didn’t question Conan’s presence, but Hakuba had already suggested multiple times for Ran to take him home –that a heist was no place for a child.

When the look on Hakuba’s face darkened, Conan swallowed nervously.

In the next second though, those gloved hands on his shoulders left as KID skipped backwards to the railing on the roof.

“And this is where I say good-bye, dear Tantei-san!” KID waved joyfully, giving Conan a more pointed smile, “Tantei-kun.”

Then, before Hakuba or Conan could stop him, he flung himself off the roof and into the air.

*             *             *             *             *

To anyone else, the change was subtle…

Hakuba’s understanding of the thief expanded with every heist notice and every failed capture. He knew things that Nakamori never did –that KID was young, possibly enough so to be in Hakuba’s class, and a terrible ice skater, though those skills didn’t seem to translate to rollerblades.

As Hakuba’s understanding grew, he more easily read and understood heist notices, slowly matching the thief’s erratic pace. Soon, he would surely capture the famous Phantom Thief.

That’s what everyone saw.

But Conan wasn't everyone.

He saw the way Hakuba looked at him jealously every time Conan appeared at a heist. He heard the blonde every time he advised Ran to take her 'little brother’ home. He heard every quip about a “heist being no place for a child”.

Which made his other actions burn all the more.

Because Hakuba… watched Conan. He noticed it at the next heist, the way Hakuba kept an eye on him. When Conan snuck away, Hakuba was close on his heels. It was like Conan was some cue he was waiting on, the second before the ring of the bell. He would dash after Conan, up narrow stairs and, at a landing, pull _ahead_ to face the thief alone, Conan pulling up the rear. KID never showed surprise at Hakuba’s arrival, but Conan was sure KID was feeling just as frustrated.

He had to be.

In order to save his last respite, Conan got creative. He snuck away sooner, sometimes never showing up to Hakuba's eyes. Other times, he lingered so long he nearly missed Kaitou KID entirely. Still more times, he headed one way before backtracking, hoping to lose the other detective in the foray.

It never worked.

Hakuba found him every time, giving Conan less than two minutes to have his witty banter with KID. This last time, Hakuba had even called Ran on him, having her keep a close eye on him while the detective took the stairs two at a time. It took _forever_ to slip her watch and when he finally did…

He made to push the roof door open, but stopped. He could hear voices.

“Not bad, Tantei-san. You’re on time today!” KID called over the rooftop.

“Oh, hardy-har-har!” Hakuba called back, “I know you set my pocket watch back two minutes, Kuroba! I noticed my pocket watch gone at lunch!”

“Tan-tei-san~! I told you before! I’m not Kuroba!” KID sighed dramatically, “your watch must have a few gears loose!”

“You take that back-!”

Conan peeked through the small crack of the open door. KID looked… at ease, smile bigger than Conan had ever seen. He looked… like he was _enjoying_ Hakuba's rant and his own witty comebacks. He looked like… he didn't even notice Conan was gone.

Like Conan… didn't matter.

Tantei-kun… wasn't as good as Tantei- _san_.

Conan shook his head and tore back down the stairs.

No. No, no, no!

His breath hitched as he rammed the stair door open, shoulder smarting from the push bar.

No, Conan… _Tantei-kun_ mattered. He did!

Conan wound his way through the museum, ignoring the burn in his eyes.

KID showed it! He gave Conan special heist notices! He saw Conan for what he really was –for what _Tantei-kun_ really was!

“Conan-kun!” Ran squeaked when Conan ran into her leg and grabbed onto whatever he could. One hand caught the hem of her shirt; the other curled into her belt loop. “Conan-kun? What's wrong?”

He didn’t answer, just pressing his face into her thigh and hoping no one noticed the moisture leaking down his cheeks.

He… he _mattered_! He _did_! He mattered to KID! He was his _favorite critic_!

... Right?

*           *           *           *           *

It happened with the next heist.

Conan saw it on TV.

A heist notice.

One KID _didn’t_ send to him.

He denied it at first, thinking the mail hadn’t arrived yet. When it did, he thought, maybe, KID didn't use the normal post. Too many chances of it getting lost. He must deliver it personally.

Hours passed, Conan solved the riddle on television, but his notice never came.

“Conan, bed time!” Ran called.

“Okay!” he called back, right before slipping out the apartment door. He didn’t go far, just to the end of the stairs where the mailbox clung to the wall. He opened it, weak hope burgeoning in his chest… only to die at the sight of an empty box.

He bit his quivering lip, refusing to make a fool of himself like before.

A shadow rippled over the sidewalk. Wiping his nose with his sleeve, Conan ducked his head out to look up, expecting an owl or bat. A familiar hang glider caught his eyes instead. His shoulders slumped as he watched it grow smaller and smaller, disappearing into the night.

With it, his last respite vanished before his eyes.

“Conan?” Ran called from the stairs, “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” Conan’s voice cracked around the quiet word. He swallowed thickly around the lump in his throat and tried again, “Nothing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good first chapter, no? Got two more after this! :)
> 
> Remember, this is a prompt, so if you want to write something similar, I'm cool with it (as long as it's not entirely the same). This is prompted by Shana_Fujioka's collections, prompt #4 and (mostly) #16. I will deviate a bit, because I think Kaito would never confront Conan or Shinichi, but that's just how my Kaito acts. :) I think I can still deliver what Shana is looking for. ;)


	2. Haiku in Sadness and Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito, only the events in this fic. Prompt by Shana_Fujioka.
> 
> PS - Hi guys! Ready for chapter 2? :) Not as many harsh feels in this one I don't think, but more realization on Kaito's part. 
> 
> Still planning on posting Chapter 3 next week, but I haven't typed it yet. I'll get it done. I've got a whole week, right? Right?

Hakuba accosted him after school. The blonde slammed one hand down onto Kaito’s desk, making the other students look over, eyes wide. The foreign detective had been acting more and more out of sorts the longer Kaito eluded his capture.

This was one such instance.

Hakuba scowled, “I saw you scrolling through your tablet during mathematics.”

Kaito looked up from where he’d been gathering his things and stowing them in his bag. He rolled his eyes and went back to cleaning out his desk. “Hello to you too, Hakuba. Lovely weather we’re having.”

“Cut that out,” Hakuba frowned, crossing his arms, “I saw you looking at the Generals’ Hustler. I know that tonight is the first full moon night of the month –typical for your method of operation. All I need to know is the exact time of your heist, Kuroba. I’ve got it figured out this time. You won’t be able to escape.”

“I’ve told you before!” Kaito groaned, “I’m not KID!”

“Significant evidence says otherwise,” Hakuba pulled his lip back in a sneer.

“Obviously _not_ , if you don’t even have a search warrant for me,” Kaito pointed out. He knew enough about modern investigative practices to know when to split if too many suspicious glances came his way.

Also, enough to make Hakuba’s face turn an amusing shade of red.

“I’m not letting you out of my sight until I’ve got proof!” Hakuba declared –and why?

Why did it have to be today? When Aoko, his first defense when it came to the blonde, was home with a cold? And Kaito needed to meet up early with Jii-chan to prepare?

Kaito is pretty sure the world hates him.

*             *             *             *             *

Or not.

Turns out, using Aoko as bait to make Hakuba leave Kaito’s side was a genius ploy –even if Kaito didn’t like leaving his best friend alone with his most persistent chaser.

No, that would be Tantei-kun, wouldn’t it?

Tantei-kun… Tantei-kun’s notice!

“Ah! I knew I was forgetting something!” KID groaned aloud, yanking on his hat as he soared through the air. “Tantei-kun’s notice is still in the cave!”

Did he have enough time to turn back around? He wanted to make sure his little detective got his personalized heist notice. Kaito could never help a friendly jab at the boy.

A glance at his watch had him wincing.

No, Hakuba had cost him a lot of time today. Turning around for a card would take too long –especially if Tantei-kun was already on site and he _had_ to be by that point. Kaito had made this notice easier, given that Tantei-kun hadn’t showed last time, leaving Kaito with an increasingly frustrated Hakuba. Maybe he’d over estimated Tantei-kun’s abilities?

No matter. This riddle would surely make it up to the boy.

_Four star dreams captured_

_In the fresh-faced child’s skilled hands._

_Gone the sun two more._

Like Hakuba had said (cheater that he was), Kaito was after the General’s Hustler. An Iolite pendant displayed at a history exhibit of some famous military person Kaito couldn’t care less about.

All he knew is that the stone was said to have saved the man’s life in every battle making him virtually _immortal –_ right up until he’d been swindled out of it by a doll-faced woman at a bar. Not just any woman, a _hustler_ , hence the name.

Kaito wasn’t even sure it was the same jewel, but the appraisers seemed to believe so. He’d take their word for it.

As for the start time, two hours after sunset should be before Tantei-kun’s curfew. There’s no reason he should miss this heist. Kaito had made _sure._

*             *             *             *             *

Tantei-kun didn’t show.

Kaito was worried. Surely that notice wasn’t too hard. Even Hakuba had made it in time –and he’d been aptly distracted by Aoko! A quick fly-by the boy’s residence revealed that Tantei-kun was just fine, opening the mailbox at the bottom of the steps. So if the boy was fine, why didn’t he show?

Did his Onee-chan just not want him to attend the heists anymore? Had Hakuba’s warnings finally sunk into her parenting mindset?

How was KID supposed to impress his favorite critic _now_?

The answer came with a challenge from Jirokichi.

Of course! Onee-chan’s friend _always_ asked for the KID Killer to be there! He wouldn’t even need to mail out a heist notice, just accept the challenge!

This would definitely work!

*             *             *             *             *

Except… it didn’t.

“What do you mean that brat isn’t coming?!” Suzuki-san demanded. The sheer volume of her voice caused feedback in Kaito’s com unit. His ears would surely be ringing for the rest of the night.

But he _so_ wanted to echo her indignant cry.

“Conan-kun said he didn’t want to go anymore. He said the thief had someone else that was a better opponent,” Mouri-san replied in a tone much more gentle on Kaito’s equipment. “I don’t know, Sonoko. He’s been so down lately. I thought this would cheer him up, you know?”

“That brat’s only really happy when he’s solving mysteries,” Suzuki-san huffed. “Just like that other detective nerd.”

“Then I guess KID is a mystery he doesn’t need to solve anymore…” Mouri-san grew quiet.

The two went on to other topics as they waited for KID to appear, but Kaito wasn’t listening.

Tantei-kun saw him as a mystery?

One that didn’t need solved anymore?

And what was this about a better opponent? No one replaced Kaito’s favorite critic! Where could Tantei-kun have gotten that idea from-!?

Hakuba.

Hakuba and all his poking and prodding and snide remarks-!

No, this was as much Kaito’s fault as it was Hakuba’s.

Kaito had said that the blonde detective was Tantei-kun’s rival, had even, teasingly, given him a similar nickname. He didn’t realize the boy had taken that throw-away comment to heart! Kaito had to make this right.

But first, he had a heist to do and a front page newspaper to steal.

*             *             *             *             *

Hakuba ended up on the front page, but Kaito was okay with that.

The Gogo-dancer dress and fresh make-over he’d given the detective was worthy of the front page.

It also meant Hakuba would never live it down. Not if Jirokichi had anything to say about it.

*             *             *             *             *

Kaito never got to make it right with little Tantei-kun.

The next day, he found a note laying on top of his outdoor shoes.

“Oh!” Kimiko from two lockers over exclaimed when she saw the note, “That’s the note your cousin left for you!”

“My… cousin?” Kaito asked, ignoring the way Hakuba was eying the card –like he wanted to take it away as evidence.

“Yeah, he came in just as I was closing up the gate this morning,” Kimiko explained, “real cute boy, reminded me of you when you were six or seven? Though he wore glasses where you didn’t…”

_Tantei-kun._

Why was Tantei-kun at his school?

Did he know Kaito was KID?

No, he couldn’t. He’d never met Kuroba Kaito-!

Hakuba.

Hakuba had said his name all those heists ago. Tantei-kun knew who he was.

 _Then I guess KID is a mystery he doesn’t need to solve anymore…_ Mouri-san’s words came back to him.

Solved indeed.

Hakuba had gotten off easy at the last heist, Kaito decided.

“Did he say anything?” Kaito asked.

“Mmm…” Kimiko put a finger to her lips, thinking, “I did ask if he wanted me to call you, but he said he didn’t have much time.”

Not much time? What did _that_ mean?

“His parents were waiting for him in the car,” Kimiko recalled. “He said that he was going to America, but he wanted to thank you for playing with him. You’re really good with kids, aren’t you?”

“I try to be,” Kaito said, slipping the letter into his bag. The world felt a little fuzzy around the edges.

“Aren’t you going to open it?” Hakuba asked as Kaito changed his shoes. He looked about ten seconds away from stealing the letter and reading it himself.

“Don’t you know, Hakuba?” Kaito grinned at him, though his eyes were cold. “Reading other people’s mail is a criminal offense.”

He left the half-Brit sputtering and decided not to wait on Aoko and her Gardening Club that day. He’s not sure his mind could handle the suspense of the letter and he _did not_ want to open it in front of Hakuba and potentially give away his identity.

At home, he couldn’t open the letter fast enough, nearly ripping the envelope down the middle in his haste.

Inside were three little words, neatly written in a way no child should be capable of.

_Good-bye. -Tantei-kun_

The rest of the letter was blank.

*             *             *             *             *

Kaito spied on the Mouri Detective Agency, laid down bugs, but the boy never showed. The next heist, Kaito sent a notice, hoping to get a forwarding address or phone number or _something_ – _any method_ to contact his biggest critic.

He wanted to fix the misunderstanding. He wanted the kid messing up his heists, calling him on his disguises. He, strangely enough, wanted to dodge super-powered soccer balls under only the light of the full moon.

He wanted his Tantei-kun back.

Instead, he got a name.

“Otou-san, we got another letter to Conan,” Mouri-san called as she flipped through the letters. Words cut across a pure white card.

_Face of mine to you_

_Blood and tears are fake to hear_

_Face of yours to me_

_-Kaitou KID_

“Just give it to that detective brat to mail,” Mouri replied, eyes tacked onto the newspaper.

“But it looks like a heist notice,” Mouri-san frowned, flipping his card this way and that, the KID caricature flashing its cocky grin. “I don’t think Shinichi can get the letter to Conan in time.”

“If it’s from that idiot thief, just trash it.”

So she did, but Kaito didn’t care. He got what he wanted.

Everyone knew Shinichi Kudou. He’d disappeared some three years ago –only to show up last month right after half of Japan’s underground was arrested in the biggest raid in modern history. Even American divisions like the CIA and FBI had gotten in on the action.

His return and the downfall of crime lords seems far too coincidental for Kaito.

Meitantei _indeed_.

Kaito also knew that Kudou was Tantei-kun’s cousin. If anyone could contact the boy, it would be Kudou.

So Kaito planned the next heist carefully. He made sure to pick a target, location, and time a whole _month_ in advance –surely enough time for Kudou to call Tantei-kun, set up airfare, and get the boy flown in for KID’s heist.

It was a risk, planning so early. The police could enact any number of countermeasures, but…

If it would get him his biggest critic back, Kaito would endure any risk. Even if it meant he had to rouse a little competitive spirit in Meitantei and possibly end up with _three_ detectives on his heels.

If it would succeed, Kaito didn’t care.

*             *             *             *             *

A pure white card appeared in Kudou Shinichi’s mailbox three days later with the longest heist notice to date.

_Dancing sun and moon_

_Time flows endlessly in prose_

_Roar of nature’s beast_

_More delicate than a rose_

_Shard of beauty swoon_

_Beneath the sun’s sounding cry_

_Greatest is the least_

_Tantei-kun_

_Give it one more try_

_Suimasen_

_-Kaitou KID_

_PS: Neh, Meitantei, are you as good as your cousin?_

The card crumbled in his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See? Prompt #4 did come into play... a little bit. :) 
> 
> Kaito's last notice does still stick with the Haiku format or a remixed version I should say. Still 5-7-5, but then alternating 7-5 to make it longer. The last triplet was a 3-5-3, another modification to the haiku format. It's rare, but not unseen.
> 
> Still probably won't be winning any poetry awards. :P


	3. New Love Blooms in Spring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito, only the events in this fic. Prompt by Shana_Fujioka. :)
> 
> PS- ... So... not as sad as I wanted to make it. :/ I think it's because I made it Kaito's POV instead of Shinichi's? I might do another chapter just with Shinichi's POV of their... conversation, but that will be much later.
> 
> In other news, I am half-way done with Nanowrimo! :D On Tuesday, I was a day ahead... and now I am two days behind. It's hard to type when you give yourself a card-board cut on a fingertip. Like a paper cut? But with cardboard. Very not fun. :( Oh well, it looks like its... mostly healed. I can probably make some up tomorrow. Then next week is Thanksgiving! :)
> 
> I plan on having two more Conan Hints for you guys and a hiatus in December, then coming back with lots more updates with the new year. :) You may see a few updates in-between, but I don't want to promise anything.
> 
> Anyway, please enjoy!

How dare he? How _dare_ he?!

Shinichi had been done. He’d _made_ his peace! He’d given himself closure, had put the period on the sentence and _this_ is what that thief did?!

He’d made Conan – _Shinichi_ –cry when that heist notice didn’t come, when he’d been brushed to the side like last season’s clothes. He’d made those last months of being Conan so _hard_ , so heart-wrenchingly _painful_. It had made Conan focus all the more on taking down the Black Organization, to _accomplish something_ so the void in his chest might ease a little. Then the Black Organization was gone and Haibara had found the antidote he needed and…

The letter had been more for him than KID.

Sure, KID had forgotten about him and went off with some other detective, but… those heist… _so many heists…_ They had been Conan’s safe haven in a world of pain and death and betrayal at every turn. They may not have meant much to KID, but… they meant something to _Conan_.

So he’d found ‘Kuroba Kaito’, a male attending Hakuba’s school in Ekoda and it’d only taken one look for Conan to decide: yes, Kuroba Kaito was KID. Personality and characteristics not-with-standing, Kuroba _looked_ like him, like _Shinichi_. And who did KID like to impersonate most?

A sweet girl had let him in, directed him to Kuroba’s locker, and it was done. That was it. No more Conan, no more KID heists. He was back to being Shinichi, back to being the detective nerd of Teitan High…

But Ran had moved on. Sonoko had moved on. _His class_ had moved on.

Three years as an elementary student? Shinichi was left making up sophomore homework while everyone else was starting their first year of _college_ or the first day of their new _jobs_! Despite the downfall of the Black Org., despite the antidote that was supposed to _fix_ _things_ , nothing was the way it was supposed to be. Shinichi was out of place, no longer belonging as Shinichi and no longer belonging as Conan. He wondered, some days, whether _staying_ as Conan… would have been better.

And then this.

_This._

This harmless piece of paper turns up in his mailbox with this _insulting_ challenge!

Is that was KID’s game was? Play with a detective until a new one came along and then toss the old one away? Had Hakuba already lost favor? Shinichi felt a sharp smugness that it had taken KID two _years_ to get bored of Conan while the blonde had only held favor for seven _months_.

Playboy _indeed_.

But no. Shinichi wouldn’t let KID off the hook. He wouldn’t play the thief’s little games. If KID wanted to toy with a detective, he could go find _someone else_.

And KID had the gall to ask about Conan? To encourage _Conan_ to try again when _KID_ was the one to stop sending his notices?!

Shinichi couldn’t just ignore KID. It wouldn’t cut deep enough. It wouldn’t _make his point_. Because KID didn’t know Shinichi. He could make an excuse that the detective just wasn’t up to it, wasn’t _confident_ enough to play his game.

No. Shinichi would deny KID his invitation and he would make _sure_ that bastard thief knew _why_. And he knew exactly _how_ he was going to do it too.

With the fires of anger and hurt flowing through his veins, Shinichi grabbed a pen from his desk and ripped out a lined sheet of notebook paper. Not pure white paper, KID didn’t deserve that. Pen to paper, Shinichi let his feelings bleed into a language only KID would hear.

*             *             *             *             *

_Moon stops reflecting_

_The beginning is an end_

_Small feet run no more_

_-Kudou Shinichi_

_PS: You may have Hakuba and Nakamori-keibu running after you, but I won’t play your games, KID._

The media was in an uproar. This was the first time any detective thought to _respond_ to KID’s notice. And such a response too! At first, it almost sounded like Kudou Shinichi had accepted the challenge, but the post script said otherwise. None of the news stations could figure it out even though they talked about it twenty-four seven.

Kaito knew though. He knew what it said…

He just didn’t _understand_.

The moon is typically what Kaito used to refer to himself. After all, he _is_ the Magician under the Moonlight. However, Meitantei used it differently here. The Moon _stops_ reflecting, not _is made to stop_. Kaito knows there are only so many ways to write ideas into a haiku, but something tells him Meitantei could have given the other meaning if he meant to.

Which means he _didn’t_ mean to. He chose _this_ meaning on purpose.

So if not Kaitou KID, what else could be the Moon? The moon is a heavenly body, orbiting earth and reflecting the sun. Long ago, before science proved otherwise, the moon was thought to chase the sun across the sky, never able to catch up, never able to _capture_ it…

Catch, capture, _chase_.

The chaser chases no longer. _Small feet run no more_. Tantei-kun wouldn’t be coming, not to this heist, not to _any_ heist.

 _The beginning is an end_.

Tantei-kun wouldn’t be coming, not because Meitantei refused to tell him, but because… he couldn’t?

No, Kaito is probably thinking too hard about this. He’s _sure_ he is, and _yet_ …

Kimiko’s words echoed in his mind: _“I did ask if he wanted me to call you, but he said he didn’t have much time.”_

*             *             *             *             *

_Three prints in the sand_

_One in front two close behind_

_One smaller, one big_

_-Kaitou KID_

No post script. It’s not another heist note, but it was not delivered directly to Shinichi’s mailbox. He could choose to ignore it, but the way it made the fire flare up again, Shinichi couldn’t help himself.

He seethed.

*             *             *             *             *

_The tide comes in fast_

_The smaller washes away_

_The big stand alone_

_The ones in front pause_

_Turn around to taunt the big_

_The big turns away_

_-Kudou Shinichi_

“Kuroba, what is the meaning of this?” Hakuba demanded as Kaito read Kudou’s reply over and over _and over_ -! Hakuba grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, tearing Kaito’s eyes away from his tablet. “Kuroba, I _know_ these aren’t heist notices, so why-!? Are you-? _Why are you crying?!_ ”

Was he crying? His face did feel kind of wet, but it didn’t feel hot, his eyes didn’t burn. Instead it felt… kind of blank –like the best mask he could pull right now was one made of fragile ceramic and thin lips.

“Kuroba,” Hakuba tried again, in a way Kaito assumed meant he was trying to be gentle, “what is going on? The way you and Kudou are talking… it sounds like… well, like someone _died_.”

Kaito felt his ceramic mask crack, his throat close up.

“I…” Kaito’s voice cracked as he spoke. He swallowed and – _shove everything down, put it in a box, file it away, poker face, poker face –_evenly said, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Hakuba’s face twisted in anger, “You-!”

“I just got some dust in my eyes,” Kaito said as he pinched Hakuba’s wrist right where the tendons met, making the detective’s hand go numb and release Kaito’s collar. “I have no idea what is going on between KID and Kudou Shinichi. After all,” he looked up, eyes clear, voice steady, “I’m just an outsider looking in.”

Hakuba’s face twisted again, this time with something close to doubt, but Kaito didn’t bother to stick around. He shoved the rest of his books into his bag – _careful, careful, not too hard, you aren’t angry, you aren’t sad, you aren’t scared for Tantei-kun’s life-! –_and slung it over his shoulder. Not sparing the blonde detective – _his fault, his fault! It’s all Hakuba’s-! No, my fault, mine too. I caused this_ –a second glance, Kaito made his way through the room to where Aoko was waiting at the doorway, fresh from her lecture down the hall.

“Do you want to hit up the ice cream shop today, Kaito?” Aoko asked, “Aoko heard there’s a new flavor and she thinks Kaito would really like it!”

“Not today.” Kaito gave her a smile, because that’s what’s _expected_ , but shook his head. “I have to meet up with someone for a project.”

“Oh…” Aoko frowned and stared at his face, eyes searching.

“Maybe tomorrow?” he compromised, even though he might not feel like doing _anything_ tomorrow, not if-! _Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it!_

“Okay!” she perked up, brightening at the suggestion, “Tomorrow then! Kaito better not forget Aoko!”

“Of course not!” he laughed and ruffled her hair, messing it up in the way she always told him not to. Predictably, she yelled and punched his shoulder with her fists, but it’s worth it. It’s worth it because…

Kaito doesn’t have to think about the way he’ll freak out at home. Won’t have to think about the way he’ll pull on a suit of pure white silk, armor only meant for _heists_. Won’t have to think about the way he’ll end up in Beika, watching a certain house until the owner returned. Won’t have to think about the way he’ll scale those walls in bright day light to the second story where the sole occupant is hunched over a desk with thick books spread out around him…

Until he’s right there, pushing the window open and standing in the slanted beam of late afternoon sunlight.

“What did you mean?” KID asked in a soft voice.

Kudou startled at his voice, books dropping to the ground as the teen detective spun around, hand going to his left wrist for some odd reason. Wide, blue eyes, familiar but not, looked at KID with something between fear and panic –until they recognized him and turned into something a little less scared and a little more _angry_.

“What are you doing here?” Kudou demanded coldly, right hand going back to balance himself against the desk.

“My question first,” KID ordered equally as cold. He took a single step forward. “What did you mean? By your reply? What did you mean?”

“Isn’t is obvious?” Kudou asked in lieu of an answer. He shuffled one step to the right, towards his bookshelf. Kaito wondered if he might have a weapon hidden there. The detective scoffed, drawing KID’s attention back, “or are you telling me you can write riddles, but can’t _solve_ them?”

“I can solve them just fine,” KID replied tersely. He took a step forward and Kudou took a step to the side again. KID felt his hands ball into fists. “It’s _because_ I can solve them that I want to know. Because, pardon me if I’m wrong, but it sounds like Tantei-kun is _gone_.”

 Every time KID pushed forward, the detective pushed away, in a path that might just put him at the door if KID isn’t careful. However, at KID’s last words, Kudou stopped, blue eyes turning onto him and, _oh yes_ , they are angry.

Enraged.

“What does it even matter?” Kudou demanded, shoulders curling defensively. “What do _you_ care if Conan is here or not?”

KID felt a sting in his heart, one that bled poison to the rest of him, because Kudou… Kudou couldn’t _possibly_ be insinuating…?

“Last I checked, you had some blonde foreigner running after you now. Really traded up, huh?” Kudou narrowed his eyes, “or was he not as fun as you thought? After all, as soon as I showed up, you were quick to jump ships.”

And, yeah, Kaito could see how his notices could be interpreted that way… but that’s not what Kaito wanted to know!

“This isn’t about you or Hakuba,” Kaito said, taking another step forward, but he faltered when Kudou didn’t retreat.

“No, this is about _Conan_ ,” Kudou spat the name like it was an insult, which was… strange. Conan was his cousin, right? So why…? “Why should I tell you anything about Conan? You gave up on him. You traded him in for a better time. Why do _you_ care what happened to him?!”

‘Happened’. Past tense.

“Where is Conan?” KID demanded, pressing forward again. They were almost nose to nose now, neither side able to back down. “A classmate said that Conan had visited my school to leave a letter. She said that he ‘didn’t have much time’. Why is that, Kudou? _Where is Conan_?”

“If I told you he was dead, what would you do?” Kudou asked, eyes hard as steel. “If I told you he got into some accident? Was terminally sick? Just… stopped breathing? What would you do?”

Each word drove a spike into Kaito’s heart. Each scenario drove them deeper. But… Kaito narrowed his eyes, “I wouldn’t believe you.”

“What?” Kudou took a step back in surprise.

“You’re lying. I can see it in your eyes. Conan isn’t dead,” Kaito said with confidence. “Where is he, Kudou?”

“He…” Kudou licked his lips as his eyes darted around the room before landing on Kaito again, “He’s in America. His parents came and-!”

“Another lie,” Kaito narrowed his eyes. “Try again. This time the truth. Where is Conan, Meitantei?”

Kudou’s eyes dropped to the floor. “… Stop calling me that.”

Kaito faltered back a step, his cape billowing around his ankles, “What?”

“ _Meitantei_. Stop calling me that! It’s not my _name_!” Kudou said, voice steadily rising in volume until he was shouting. “I am not _Meitantei_ and Conan isn’t _Tantei-kun_! So stop it with the nicknames!”

Kaito balked.

“And so what if Conan’s not here?” Kudou demanded. “You gave up on him, didn’t you? You stopped sending him heist notices!”

“That was because I-!”

“ _He looked up to you_ , you know!” Kudou continued right over Kaito’s protest. “He enjoyed those heists! They meant the world to him! Every time he saw a card in the mail with his name on it, he was _happy_ because someone saw him as more than just a child!”

There were tears in Kudou’s eyes when the teen finally looked up, “You saw me as an equal when no one else would! As someone who was _worthy_ of being a rival, of being someone to chase you! And then you _switch over to someone else_ and it just _-! Hurt-! So much-!_ ”

Kudou broke down into silent, shuddering sobs, his hand pressed to his mouth as if it would help him to bottle up the emotions. It was in Kaito’s nature to reach out to someone who was hurting, to try and comfort them, but…

His mind stuck and caught on one word.

His head tilted to the side as he rolled the word around in his mouth. He gave Kudou a suspicious look as he let the word spool itself out. “Me?”

Kudou glared at him, mind not quite catching on what Kaito had.

“You. Saw. _Me_ ,” Kaito repeated, each word succinct and precise, “as an equal.”

Kudou’s eyes went wide, again with fear. He took two startled steps back, but the bookcase stopped his retreat, ramming into his shoulder with the force of Kudou’s scrambling feet.

“Him,” Kudou corrected quickly, “you saw _him_ as an equal.”

“I know what I heard, _Meitantei_ ,” Kaito stared the teen down. “You are Conan, right?”

“Do I look like a six-year-old?” Kudou demanded, though his voice fluttered with panic.

“No,” Kaito agreed, the other's words from earlier coming to mind, “but you are also not Meitantei. You are _Tantei-kun_ , are you not?”

Eyes wide and back pressed against the bookcase, Kudou was the epitome of ‘deer in the headlights’. When his mouth opened, only to close down on his bottom lip, Kaito had his answer. With a whirl of his cape, Kaito rushed forward…

…to pull _Tantei-kun_ into his arms and hold on tight.

Because Kaito was too _relieved_ to be mad, too _relieved_ to care about the run-around and the poorly chosen words and misunderstandings. He’d come here thinking his _Tantei-kun_ was _dead_ , only for the truth of the matter to come to light.

He didn’t know the specifics, the how or the why, but Kaito didn’t doubt the other for a second. After all, Kaito had seen witches and hypnotists and _real magic_ , not sleight of hand. _Tantei-kun_ shrinking and aging back?

He could deal with that.

“Get off!” Tantei-kun struggled against his grip, but Kaito just held on harder. “Let me go! I’m still _mad_ at you!”

“I’m not going to let go,” Kaito said, “after all, I don’t want you to misunderstand again.”

Kudou paused at that, body still tense, but he seemed willing to listen.

“That night, the time I ‘stopped sending notices’?” Kaito reminded Kudou of his words. “I had been tailed by Hakuba all day. I didn’t get a chance to deliver my notice before it was time for the heist. It’s still sitting on my desk back home.”

Kudou didn’t relax, but the hands that had been pushing him away curled into his jacket to cling instead. Kaito felt the other press his forehead into the suit’s shoulder, his words whispering against Kaito’s neck, “And the one after that? With Jirokichi?”

“You were with the Suzuki heiress,” Kaito shrugged. “I thought she’d drag you there whether I sent you a heist notice or not.”

Kudou’s grip on Kaito tightened, drawing the thief closer. Kaito reached up to run gloved fingers through the short hairs at the back of the other’s neck. Lips to Kudou’s ear, Kaito asked, “what about you? The heist after that, I sent the notice, but you never came. Or the one before I missed the notice.”

Kudou didn’t immediately answer, instead pressing his face harder against Kaito’s shoulder. When he finally did speak, his voice was quieter, no longer accusatory. “The last heist I went to, I saw you talking with Hakuba. You… didn’t even seem to notice I was gone, so I just… left. It was… it was better than seeing you…!”

“Oh, Tantei-kun…” Kaito pressed his cheek to Kudou’s hair, doing his best to sooth the mentally-worn detective. “You should have come out. I would rather match wits with you over Hakuba any day.”

Kudou hiccupped and continued shakily, “and… and after that. Two months went by. I thought… _for sure_ … you had… you had _forgotten me_. And then… the Black Organization was down. Haibara… she had the antidote and I could go back to being Shinichi and I didn’t have any _reason_ to be Conan anymore, but I didn’t have any reason to be _Shinichi_ because Ran moved on and my friends are starting _college_ and I’m still in the _second year_ of _high school_ -!”

Because, while Kaito would stop everything for Tantei-kun, the world would stop for neither Kudou Shinichi nor Edogawa Conan. It didn’t matter that he risked his life to take down a criminal organization or nearly died from whatever made him Conan and then Shinichi again –the world still moved on.

It truly wasn’t fair.

“-and I just-!” Kudou choked on a sob, “I just wanted to be _Tantei-kun_ again, but you had-! And you _had_ to send that _stupid challenge_ when I had _finally_ gotten closure-!”

It was horrible on Kaito’s part, that challenge, but…

“If you thought you would have gotten closure any other way, you are wrong.” Kaito said, turning to rest his chin on top of the other’s head. Kudou had only the occasional sniffle now, most likely a small wave of anger flushing out the despair. Kaito rubbed the back of his neck anyway, to reduce the tension there. “Saying goodbye from one side of a piece of paper won’t solve anything, Tantei-kun. If you felt this way, you should have told me –whether you believed I cared or not. Getting your feelings across, _that_ is what brings you closure. Like now, don’t you feel better?”

“… I still want to maim you with a soccer ball,” Kudou grumbled, causing a spike of adrenaline to surge through Kaito, because it was a _conditioned response now-!_ “But… I guess… the world doesn’t feel so… _hopeless_ anymore.”

Kaito smiled, “so will you continue coming to my heists, Tantei-kun?”

Kudou turned his head to look over Kaito’s shoulder, not quite meeting his eyes, “… Will Hakuba be there?”

“Unfortunately,” Kaito groaned, “I have yet to find a method to keep him away.”

“…Was he ever really my ‘rival’? Or did you just want me to scare him off?”

“The second, although it appears my plan had… adverse effects.”

Kudou rolled his eyes. “You could say that again.”

“And you know, Tantei-kun,” Kaito drew back so that he could see those beautiful, red-rimmed eyes, “if you ever need help with homework or something else, I’m only one call away.”

Kudou frowned, “…But I don’t have your number.”

“Are you sure about that?” Kaito grinned. Kudou eyed him suspiciously before reached around to his back pocket and pulling out his phone.

“How did you…?”

“A magician never reveals his tricks!” Kaito pulled away with a flourish. In the next second, he was at the window, ready to fly off –when Kudou called for him.

“Wait!” Kudou reached out, hand hovering in mid-air. When Kaito paused, he dropped it to his side, fiddling with the hem of the opposite sleeve. “You… I… Just…. Thank you. Kuroba. For… this.”

KID smiled, “Kaito please, Tantei-kun. I think we’ve gotten past the last names stage long ago.”

Kudou’s answering smile was _beautiful_. “Then call me Shinichi, I guess…”

“Mmmmm….” Kaito thought about it for all of 2.5 seconds. “Nah, I’m gonna stick with Tantei-kun.”

“Wha- _KID_!”

“Bye, Tantei-kun!” Kaito waved from his hang glider several feet away. “Remember! The next heist!”

Even from how high he was up, Kaito could still see the small smile grace Ku – _Shinichi’s_ lips.

*             *             *             *             *

[Omake]

Hakuba has no idea _what_ he did to deserve this, but he is ready to get on his knees and _grovel_ for forgiveness if it would make all this _stop_!

He’d thought the Gogo-dancer dress was bad.

This was worse.

This was a _corset_ , laced up tight, making it hard to breathe as he raced down the halls, blindly searching for KID. It was tied behind him, so Hakuba couldn’t even _get out_ of the thing without help. Even _worse_ , it was _under_ his normal clothes, so if Hakuba went up to any of the officers for help, he’s _sure_ they would look at him like he was some sort of pervert –like he actually _chose_ to wear this _torture device_ to the heist that night.

At the end of the hall, Hakuba saw the newest detective, Kudou Shinichi, leisurely strolling down the corridor. Just before Hakuba could call out, the detective slipped into the double doors at the end and disappeared. Hakuba had no idea what the detective was doing in that room in particular… but he didn’t quite care.

He just wanted this _atrocity_ off of him and he had a feeling that Kudou would _not_ tell the rest of the Taskforce about this. Or, at least, wouldn’t laugh at Hakuba for something KID did. After all, KID must have done something to Kudou as well, right? That’s why the detective was seeking shelter in an empty room?

Hakuba found that was _not_ the case.

When he threw open the doors, he was met with not one pair of eyes… but _two_.

“Can I help you, _Hakuba-san_?” KID asked, voice so cold it sent chills up Hakuba’s spine. He had never seen KID look at him like that, at _anyone_ like that! And he wasn’t addressing him by the nickname Hakuba had grown used to (and arguably fond of).

“K-KID?” Hakuba back pedaled, but the door had already closed behind him. The blonde couldn’t help a whimper.

“So this is the one?” Kudou asked, voice a near perfect imitation. “The one that made _Conan_ cry?”

“Mmm…” KID rested his chin in his palm, lounging from his place atop a glass case. Kudou stood in front and off to the left, hands casually in his pockets. If Hakuba didn’t know better, he’d almost say they were playing good cop, bad cop on him –except he didn’t know which was supposed to be which.

“ _Well_ ,” Kudou spat between his teeth. He turned a false smile onto the Brit. “Do you want to tell me _why_ , Hakuba, you decided to be a glory hog and try to enforce a curfew on _my cousin_ , when all he’s ever done was help you with finding KID?”

“I…” Hakuba’s mouth worked, but he didn’t have any words –not with _that face_ staring him down in double-vision. “I-!”

“Can you tell me _why_ you constantly put him down, when all he wanted to do was join in the fun?” Kudou continued, “Can you tell me _why_ you felt you needed to steal the spotlight from a _child_ who had already been left to another family to take care of?”

“I-! It’s-!” His lips trembled as KID sighed.

“Maybe I should ban you from my heists,” KID’s grin looked _murderous_. “Then you’ll know exactly how Tantei-kun fe-!”

“ _It’s not fair!_ ” Hakuba shouted, finally getting his brain and mouth to work together.

KID and Kudou shared a look, then glared at him.

“Not fair?” Kudou repeated.

“It’s not fair!” Hakuba confirmed, his eyes burning under the onslaught of two disappointed stares. “My father wouldn’t let me attend a heist until I was _ten_! I wasn’t allowed to see a _crime scene_ until I was _twelve_! And yet that _boy_ -!”

Tears were an act of weakness and should never be displayed in public, but Hakuba was under interrogation by two people he’d _never_ suspected of working together, with more disappointment than he’d ever faced in his _life_ and _still in that freaking corset!_

At this point, he really just wanted to go home, but he couldn’t stop his mouth from blabbering off.

“It’s not fair that he’s _six_ and he can go to _heists_ and chase after _criminals_ and –and-!” Hakuba’s breaths were labored, corset not really meant for such high-emotion situations. The plush carpet was suddenly under his hands, the tears falling freely at his own humiliation. Why did _he_ have to wait where Edogawa _did not have to_?!

“Oh my G-! You can’t be serious!” KID hopped down from his perch and stormed over, expression growing more enraged with each step. “I can’t _believe_ that the reason you made Tantei-kun _cry_ is because-!”

“KID.” Kudou held out a hand to stop him, face unreadable. He knelt beside Hakuba, sharp blue eyes watching the other detective –so similar to the sharp blue eyes of his cousin. Those eyes softened as they stared at Hakuba’s heaving form. “You really thought it was the right thing to do, didn’t you? You thought that keeping him away from criminal activity until he was old enough to understand the implications, the _reality_ of it –you thought you were doing right.”

Hakuba _was_ doing right. Edogawa might not know it now, but he’d thank Hakuba for it later.

Hakuba still thanked his father for keeping him away until he was old enough to stomach the sight of a dead body or had the smarts to avoid being used as a _hostage_ in dangerous situations. Edogawa was far too young for that.

“If so, why did you still follow him?” Kudou asked, “It made… _him_ feel as though you were using him.”

“Edogawa-kun…” Hakuba panted, feeling his chest constrict and his head grow dizzy, “was very smart. Smarter than I was at that age. I know KID would never harm him, but… the snipers and other men, the ones that hid… I couldn’t allow him to get hurt. So I always pulled ahead…”

“And made yourself the target,” Kudou sighed. “You and KID are more alike than you think.”

“Me and _him_?!” KID made a noise of disgust, “As if!”

“You don’t need to worry about… _Conan_ anymore, Hakuba-san,” Kudou smiled at him and it was like the skies had opened up and sunshine rained down. “He went back to America with his family. He’ll always have someone watching over him now, so let’s try to take down the snipers and this idiotic thief together, okay?”

“Hey, I’m not-!”

Hakuba felt lighter, dizzy with relief. So dizzy, in fact, that… he might just…

“…”

“…”

“KID?”

“Yeah?”

“Did Hakuba just faint?”

“Ah, yeah. That might be because of the corset I put on him.”

“…”

“…”

“Why did you put a _corset_ on him?”

“I’m still mad about how he treated you!”

“He’s probably suffocating!”

“He deserves to suffer!”

“Help me get him out.”

“No.”

“ _Kaito…_ ”

“… Fine. But _only_ because you said my name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omake got more serious than intended. Maybe I should change the title to Epilogue? Idk.
> 
> That currently marks the end of this story. Like I said, I might put in a little something of Shinichi's POV, but not for the next few weeks.
> 
> Thank you again, Shana_Fujioka for allowing me to write your prompt! :)
> 
> Also, did anyone notice that the titles make up a haiku too? :) It was a theme I was working with. ;)


	4. Dang, messed up my chapter title Haiku

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shinichi's POV
> 
> Infestation - I'd say spend the upcoming year finishing anything left undone, rather than starting something new.
> 
> Prompt received and completed! :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito. This fanfic was a prompt from Shana_Fujioka.
> 
> PS - I wonder if anyone is still waiting for the Shinichi's POV? :/
> 
> Infestation - I'd say spend the upcoming year finishing anything left undone, rather than starting something new.
> 
> Prompt received and completed! :D 
> 
> Although, I think you may have misinterpreted? :/ I wasn't looking for full series ideas, but just little Oneshots that I could blow off some steam when I needed to between larger series. Either way, wish granted! :) I'll also be working on completing the Epilogue to the LDA series.

Shinichi knew it was a bad idea to have his desk face away from the door to his room. Maybe it was paranoia, but he knew the position it placed him in. All someone had to do was enter through his door or window while his back was turned and he’d be cut-off from his only exit.

Just like what was apparently happening right now.

Shinichi had heard a near silent shifting of metal against metal, but brushed it aside. Too many times, lately, he’d heard things that weren’t there, too paranoid after the Black Organization’s take down.

He really wishes he’d paid attention.

“What did you mean?”

The words were simple and soft, almost a whisper, but Shinichi jumped none-the-less. His books plummeted to the ground, but he ignored them, hand instead going to his left wrist –and he cursed himself in his head. His watch no longer fit him. It lay across the room on his nightstand, perfectly harmless to the intruder.

An intruder that, once he got a look, was nowhere near as bad as Black Organization member.

Well… marginally.

Kaitou KID was the _last_ person Shinichi wanted to see right now, _especially_ after their back and forth in the media. Forcing his right hand away from his wrist, Shinichi shifted his balance in an attempt to regain some control over this situation. KID’s words still echoed in his ears.

“What are you doing here?” He demanded stiffly, hoping a cold attitude would drive the thief away. KID twitched, the only sign that he was affected, but Shinichi focused in with glee. It’s what the thief deserved after all he’d put Shinichi through.

 “My question first,” KID’s words were like ice. He took a single step forward, eyes piercing from underneath the brim of his hat. “What did you mean? By your reply? What did you mean?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Shinichi replied as he eyed the distance between KID, himself, and the door. He wanted to end this conversation as quickly as possible, even if it meant _fleeing_ from it. His pride would recover. He shuffled to the right, trying to place himself in a more optimal position. He kept talking, distracting the thief from his plan, “or are you telling me you can write riddles, but can’t _solve_ them?”

 “I can solve them just fine,” KID replied tersely. He took a step forward and Shinichi took a step to the side again, like some weird game of cat and mouse. KID’s words took a more frustrated tone. “It’s _because_ I can solve them that I want to know. Because, pardon me if I’m wrong, but it sounds like Tantei-kun is _gone_.”

KID took another step forward, which should have been Shinichi’s cue to make a run for it, but…

The fire leapt in his belly again.

Because –Because-!

Because ‘Tantei-kun’ wasn’t gone! ‘Tantei-kun’ was _right here_! Right in front of KID! _Always had been_!

But KID hadn’t wanted him! KID had wanted some new blonde detective with an accent that was unfortunately similar to Shinichi’s favorite character of all time. He’d looked at ‘Tantei-kun’ and hadn’t seen the equal Shinichi had seen. He’d looked at ‘Tantei-kun’ and _passed him over_ -!

But that wasn’t KID's question, Shinichi knew. KID wasn’t asking for ‘Tantei-kun’. He was asking for ‘Conan’.

But ‘Conan’ was _gone_ and ‘Shinichi’ was nothing but a ghost of a life that could have been. And if KID didn’t want the _one_ , he wouldn’t get _either of them!_

“What does it matter?” Shinichi growled through his teeth. That familiar burn in his throat made itself known. “What do _you_ care if Conan is here or not?”

KID looked taken aback, like Shinichi’s anger was something _shocking_. Shinichi wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

 “Last I checked, you had some blonde foreigner running after you now. Really traded up, huh?” Shinichi narrowed his eyes against the burn and blurry vision, “or was he not as fun as you thought? After all, as soon as I showed up, you were quick to jump ships.”

 KID straightened up at that, taking another step forward that Shinichi stubbornly held-fast against. “This isn’t about you or Hakuba.”

“No, this is about _Conan_.” Shinichi spat. Conan, Conan, Conan –always Conan. What about _Shinichi_? What about ‘ _Tantei-kun_ ’?! “Why should I tell you anything about Conan? You gave up on him. You traded him in for a better time. Why do _you_ care what happened to him?!”

KID froze up. His next words sounded like ice.

“Where is Conan?” KID demanded, pressing forward again. They were almost nose to nose now, neither side able to back down. “A classmate said that Conan had visited my school to leave a letter. She said that he ‘didn’t have much time’. Why is that, Kudou?  _Where is Conan_?”

Ah.

So that’s what he thought.

Well…

It was the truth, wasn’t it?

“If I told you he was dead, what would you do?” Shinichi asked, some sick, masochistic part of him _needing_ to know. Would KID react? Would he actually care? Or would he just shrug it off and be on his way? “If I told you he got into some accident? Was terminally sick? Just… stopped breathing? What would you do?”

KID was silent for a long moment before he narrowed his eyes, “I wouldn’t believe you.”

What?

“What?” Shinichi took a step back in surprise.

“You’re lying. I can see it in your eyes. Conan isn’t dead,” KID said with confidence. “Where is he, Kudou?”

“He…” Shinichi cursed himself and his _damned_ curiosity. KID was too close now, he wouldn’t be able to make it to the door before the other caught him. Shinichi was trapped. Well, why not dig the hole deeper? It’s not like the situation could get any worse. “He’s in America. His parents came and-!”

“Another lie,” KID narrowed his eyes. “Try again. This time the truth. Where is Conan, Meitantei?”

  _Meitantei, Meitantei,_ Meitantei… the word echoed tauntingly in his ears. It’s the nickname KID had chosen for Shinichi… but he was _Tantei-kun_! Not anything else! Shinichi didn’t _want_ to be anything else! The burn in his eyes strengthened as he cast his gaze to the floor. “… Stop calling me that.”

“…What?”

Did the thief really need Shinichi to _spell it out for him?_

“ _Meitantei_. Stop calling me that! It’s not my  _name_!” Shinichi said, voice steadily rising in volume until he was shouting. Like the thief wouldn’t listen unless Shinichi shouted it to the whole neighborhood. “I am not  _Meitantei_  and Conan isn’t  _Tantei-kun_! So stop it with the nicknames!”

KID remained silent.

“And so what if Conan’s not here?” Shinichi demanded, unable to hold back now that he was on a roll. “You gave up on him, didn’t you? You stopped sending him heist notices!”

“That was because I-!”

“ _He looked up to you_ , you know!” Shinichi continued right over KID’s protest. He needed the other to hurt, to feel just as much _pain_ and _suffering_ as Shinichi had felt! “He enjoyed those heists! They meant the world to him! Every time he saw a card in the mail with his name on it, he was  _happy_  because someone saw him as more than just a child!”

Shinichi couldn’t stop the tears now, but he needed to see KID’s face, to make sure the point was _driven home_. “You saw me as an equal when no one else would! As someone who was  _worthy_  of being a rival, of being someone to chase you! And then you  _switch over to someone else_  and it just-! _Hurt-! So much-!”_

Instead of KID breaking that _stupid_ blank mask of his, _Shinichi_ was the one to break down. His breath hitched of its own accord and he couldn’t keep _looking_ at the one to cause him so much pain. He jerked his head to the side, pressing his knuckles harshly against his mouth to quiet the sobs and frankly _embarrassing_ noises his throat was making without his permission.

Just a few minutes. He just needed a few minutes to pull himself together and-!

“Me?”

Shinichi side-eyed the thief, not sure what he was on about now.

“You. Saw.  _Me_ ,” KID repeated, each word succinct and precise, “as an equal.”

And suddenly, Shinichi caught on to his mistake. The urge to run overpowered him, but there was nowhere to _go._ KID was between him and the door and the window was _viable_ , but KID stood in front of that too! The bookshelf behind him rammed into his shoulder, driving in the fact that Shinichi was _trapped_ and he _didn’t want to talk about this-!_

 “Him,” Shinichi corrected quickly, hoping the thief would just think it was a mistake, “you saw  _him_  as an equal.”

“I know what I heard,  _Meitantei_ ,” KID stared him down. “You are Conan, right?”

It felt like Hattori finding out all over again. It felt like every single time Ran had started to doubt him. It felt like Haibara, some person he hadn’t even _known_ , revealing his secret.

It felt like some dark hand closing around his neck.

“Do I look like a six-year-old?” Shinichi demanded, though his voice fluttered with panic.

“No,” KID agreed, “but you are also not Meitantei. You are  _Tantei-kun_ , are you not?”

Shinichi…

Shinichi didn’t know what to say.

Because this was _bad_. This was _find out his secret_. This was _lies unraveling_. This was…

_Freeing._

And at the same time _caging_.

Because he was Tantei-kun, but only when he’d received letters from KID. KID had stopped sending heist notices to Tantei-kun. He’d moved onto someone else. Shinichi had wanted _so badly_ to be ‘Tantei-kun’ again, but…

What did it mean, if KID didn’t want ‘Tantei-kun’? What was Shinichi to do then?

There was a furl of fabric, a rush of movement that Shinichi wasn’t ready for-!

Shinichi found himself trapped in the grip of strong arms the held him just this side of too tightly, like they thought he was about to disappear altogether. That… that couldn’t be right… right?

Shinichi wanted to sink into those arms, wanted to stay hidden safe in their hold, but –no! No, he was _mad_ at KID! KID had _forgotten him_! He’d _moved on!_ KID didn’t get the right to keep playing with him like this!

Shinichi had had enough!

 “Get off!” Shinichi struggled against that grip, but the arms just held tighter. “Let me go! I’m still  _mad_  at you!”

“I’m not going to let go,” KID said. “After all, I don’t want you to misunderstand again.”

…Misunderstand?

“That night, the time I ‘stopped sending notices’?” Yes, Shinichi remembered that night. He _did not like_ remembering that night. “I had been tailed by Hakuba all day. I didn’t get a chance to deliver my notice before it was time for the heist. It’s still sitting on my desk back home.”

That… That didn’t match up to what Shinichi had thought, but… No, KID wouldn’t make a mistake like that. KID _couldn’t_ make a mistake like that!

… Could he?

Shinichi found his fingers curling into that pure white lapel, clinging to a hope that stubbornly refused to die to his logical mind. Evidence, proof, it happened more than once, didn’t it?

Shinichi buried his face against KID’s shoulder, hiding the way the tears fell and his tentative hope showed on his face. “And the one after that? With Jirokichi?”

“You were with the Suzuki heiress,” Shinichi felt the other shrug around him. “I thought she’d drag you there whether I sent you a heist notice or not.”

And, yeah, she had tried to do just that. She’d even gotten Ran on her side, tried to entice Conan to the heist, but at the time, he’d been so _hurt_ that he just _couldn’t_ -!

“What about you?” KID turned the question around. “The heist after that, I sent the notice, but you never came. Or the one before I missed the notice.”

Shinichi had never received any other heist notices, because he hadn’t been ‘Conan’ anymore after that. Haibara had a formula for him and the Black Organization was _gone_ and he’d just-!

He didn’t want to feel ‘Conan’s’ pain anymore. He wanted to get back to the life he’d known and was known for. He wanted to get back to ‘Shinichi’ so that, maybe, he could forget being _forgotten_.

It hadn’t worked.

Shinichi pressed his face harder into KID’s shoulder, trying to press down the fresh wave of tears and frustration as he recalled the last heist he’d actually gone to. “The last heist I went to, I saw you talking with Hakuba. You… didn’t even seem to notice I was gone, so I just… left. It was… it was better than seeing you…!”

“Oh, Tantei-kun…”  Shinichi felt pressure on his head as the thief’s words washed over him. In any other situation, they would have been patronizing, but here? Now? They were like a balm to Shinichi’s heart. “You should have come out. I would rather match wits with you over Hakuba any day.”

A hiccup managed to escape before he could catch it, “and… and after that. Two months went by. I thought…  _for sure_ … you had… you had  _forgotten me_. And then… the Black Organization was down. Haibara… she had the antidote and I could go back to being Shinichi and I didn’t have any  _reason_  to be Conan anymore, but I didn’t have any reason to be  _Shinichi_  because Ran moved on and my friends are starting  _college_  and I’m still in the  _second year_  of  _high school_ -!”

And it had just been one thing after another, _after_ _another_. It was some dark spiral Shinichi just _couldn’t find a way out of-!_

It wasn’t _fair_!

 

 “-and I just-!” Shinichi choked on a sob, unable to keep the waterfall of words and feelings now that the dam had broken. “I just wanted to be  _Tantei-kun_  again, but you had-! And you  _had_  to send that  _stupid challenge_  when I had  _finally_  gotten closure-!”

“If you thought you would have gotten closure any other way, you are wrong.” KID said. Pressure shifted on his head again and a hand gripped at the back of his neck, thumb running along his spine in a way that made Shinichi’s muscles ease. “Saying goodbye from one side of a piece of paper won’t solve anything, Tantei-kun. If you felt this way, you should have told me –whether you believed I cared or not. Getting your feelings across,  _that_  is what brings you closure. Like now, don’t you feel better?”

Shinichi thought for a good second, evaluating that dark ball of depression that had sat in his stomach the past few months. ‘Had’ being the key word.

“… I still want to maim you with a soccer ball,” Shinichi grumbled, finding sadistic glee in the way KID tensed up. “But… I guess… the world doesn’t feel so…  _hopeless_  anymore.”

KID smiled, Shinichi could tell from his voice. “So will you continue coming to my heists, Tantei-kun?”

Shinichi _wanted to_ , he really did, but… He turned his head to look over KID’s shoulder, not quite meeting his eyes, “… Will Hakuba be there?”

“Unfortunately,” KID groaned, “I have yet to find a method to keep him away.”

KID’s wording… made Shinichi wonder. “…Was he ever really my ‘rival’? Or did you just want me to scare him off?”

“The second, although it appears my plan had… adverse effects.”

Shinichi rolled his eyes. “You could say that again.”

“And you know, Tantei-kun,” KID drew back enough that Shinichi could _almost_ see those tantalizing eyes beneath the wide brim of his hat, “if you ever need help with homework or something else, I’m only one call away.”

Shinichi frowned, “…But I don’t have your number.”

“Are you sure about that?” KID grinned. Shinichi eyed him suspiciously before reached around to his back pocket and pulling out his phone. There was a new number listed with a familiar ‘Kuroba Kaito’ next to it.

“How did you…?”

“A magician never reveals his tricks!” KID pulled away with a flourish. In the next second, he was at the window, ready to fly off –but Shinichi couldn’t let him go yet.

“Wait!” Shinichi reached out, hand hovering in mid-air. He was actually surprised when the thief stopped at the sill and turned back. He scrambled for words, fiddling with the hem of his sleeve. “You… I… Just…. Thank you. Kuroba. For… this.”

KID - _Kuroba_ smiled, “Kaito please, Tantei-kun. I think we’ve gotten past the last names stage long ago.”

Shinichi couldn’t help an answering smile. “Then call me Shinichi, I guess…”

“Mmmmm….” KID –Kuroba – _Kaito_ made a thinking face before grinning cheekily at him. “Nah, I’m gonna stick with Tantei-kun.”

“Wha- _KID_!”

“Bye, Tantei-kun!” Kaito waved from his hang glider several feet away. “Remember! The next heist!”

Shinichi stayed at his window, watching even after the thief was long gone. Hours later, a smile still graced his lips.

The world wasn’t put to rights yet, but it would be. Shinichi would make sure of it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last update for this fic. I solemnly swear! :) 
> 
> I hope I didn't disappoint anyone with Shinichi's POV? There wasn't too much difference, but I wanted to get a look into Shinichi's emotions during that time. It feels a little weird to be adding this after so many weeks. 
> 
> Big update next Saturday! :D It's a prompt from Julia and the one clue I'll give you is "Flowers". With a big update Saturday, I'll have a smaller one on either Tuesday or Wednesday in the Next Conan Hint. See you guys later! :)

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to say "Good Job!" or "Update soon!" or "Write longer!" please just leave a Kudo (or a Kaito, my Kudos need some cuddles after a fic like this.)
> 
> If you have constructive criticism, please leave a comment below. I am continuously looking for ways to improve my writing skills, so any advice helps!


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